In this October 27, 1960 WSB newsfilm clip from Atlanta, Georgia, African American attorney Donald Hollowell speaks to reporters about the imprisonment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. after his October 19 sit-in arrest at Rich's Department store in Atlanta and efforts to secure his release.

The clip begins by showing a parking lot; a sign on a back wall indicates there is a shop to the left. Next, attired in a hat and standing outdoors, attorney Hollowell reports that lawyers filed a motion to vacate the imprisonment order against King. He indicates that although he informed DeKalb County officials of his desire to have King at a hearing scheduled for that day, county officials reported that they had already submitted papers to have King moved from the over-crowded county prison to state custody at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville.

Before his lawyers were able to file the writ of habeas corpus objecting to King's imprisonment that they had prepared, King was moved to Reidsville at four o'clock in the morning. On October 19 student-led demonstrations at several lunch counters around Atlanta led to massive arrests. City officials arranged an end to the sit-ins that included a release of prisoners arrested on city property. However, King and others arrested at Rich's Department Store were arrested in DeKalb County and were out of the city's jurisdiction. King had been arrested in DeKalb County in February 1960 for driving without a valid Georgia license and sentenced to four months in jail; the judge suspended King's sentence and placed King on probation. DeKalb County officials asserted that the sit-in arrest violated King's probation and ordered him to serve his sentence. Although the judge at first refused to allow King to be released on bond and had him transferred to Georgia State Prison, pressure from a variety of sources including the campaign of presidential candidate senator John F. Kennedy led the judge to release King into the custody of Hollowell on two thousand dollar bond later in the day on October 27.

Title supplied by cataloger.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.

1 clip (about 2 min.): black-and-white, sound ; 16 mm.

Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of African American attorney Donald Hollowell speaking to reporters about the imprisonment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Atlanta, Georgia, 1960 October 27, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 0988, 41:44/43:35, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Ga, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Forms part of: Civil Rights Digital Library.